Metcalfe Organic Carrots

Metcalfe Organic grow a wide range of over 20 types of vegetables from
carrots to cabbages, growing and supplying a myriad of produce right
through the calendar. They are totally organic and operate the region's
largest organic packing house. There is a high
demand for organic produce and Metcalfe's has risen to the challenge and supplies
a wide ranging market including the NHS 5 a Day Scheme, supermarkets,
local boxed vegetable schemes, whole foods stores and food processing plants
around the region, and wholesale markets as far as London!

All the crops are grown and packed to UK Organic standards and certified by
The Organic Food Federation. Cropping is also under Assured Produce standards
and the Pack House is certified by STS Solutions for food safety.

It is a family run, 3rd generation farm near Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire,
originally growing cereal and some pig farming. Stephen and Miriam Metcalfe have
been growing organic crops since 1989 and the pack house has been running since
2004. They farm on 320 acres of land and aim to have crop availability for as
long as the Yorkshire season and storage allow. Approximately 2000 tonnes of
carrots are harvested annually from about 120 acres.

Planting commences in May and June and the main domestic carrot growing
season is from mid August through to Easter, and when local supply is finished
they import from other parts of the UK, mainly Scotland and then a small
proportion from abroad, from places like Israel, and Southern Europe.

Main varieties which are grown are Chantenays, Nantes, Nairobi and Nepal.
Seed supplies come from the market leading Elsoms who supply the majority of UK
carrot growers. An estimated 100 million carrots seeds are planted annually!
which equates to around 600,000 an acre.

A large part of the company's interests lie in the supply of fresh vegetable
packs to the NHS School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, a programme to increase
fruit and vegetable consumption by school children. Under this programme, all
four to six year old children in LEA maintained infant, primary and special
schools will be entitled to a free piece of fruit or vegetable each school day.
Metcalfes are the only organic provider for the Yorkshire and Humberside region.

Metcalfe Organic is keen to see and increase in face to face contact between
buyers and growers so that buyers understand where the food comes from, reduce
haulage times and increase flexibility. Local growers support the local area and
its economy and should reduce transport cost and time, thereby increasing
freshness, taste and nutritional qualities.

John had a quick tour of the processing and packing premises, out of season
in early April 2008,
to see the scale of the operation and be educated in how the processes all come
together to make a smooth operation at peak periods.

Carrots can be supplied in a variety of formats depending on market needs,
including
Julienne, topped and peeled, bulk or bagged, whole bulk or bagged, and whole in nets (dirty or washed).

The company
even has its own natural water supply in the form of an on site lagoon, from
where water is drawn to wash the carrots.

A powerful, yet safe and
effective wash solution containing Citrox (an organic citrus extract
disinfectant ) is used in the carrot washing procedures. None of the
unpleasantness and potentially harmful use of chlorine which many commercial
producers use. This organic wash helps to prevent infection and increase shelf
life through the reduction in white blushing.

Being a truly organic operation
there are no weed killers used. Throughout the season and the company relies
successfully on burn techniques and manual weeding in the high season.
Again being truly organic only farmyard manure is used for fertiliser.

A few carrots in the field, hand pulled to see if the
harvest is good and fresh.

A quick note about the aims of organic horticulture -
Organic horticulture aims to produce healthy, good quality food
in an ecologically responsible way, for which the grower gets a
fair
return. The system is designed to avoid the need for
agrochemicals
and to minimise damage to the environment and wildlife.
Growers apply sustainable management practices to maintain
optimum fertility and biological activity in the soil, and also
aim
to enhance the farm environment by encouraging farm wildlife.
This helps to support plenty of natural predators, preventing
pests
and diseases from reaching damaging levels.
A healthy soil helps produce crops that are better able to
resist
pests and diseases. Healthy crops ultimately mean healthy food.

The Organic Food Federation was established
in 1986 and was one of the first UK certification bodies to be officially
approved.

It certifies in all areas of organic food production and processing and also
inspects and certifies importers of third country products, retailers and
wholesalers. Read more about the Organic Food Federation
here.

Read more about organic gardening at the Soil Association Web
site here.

From Field to School ! -
Click here to see a few shots showing how the Metcalfe Team go about processing
lovely fresh Chantenay Carrots from the
field to the bag during a visit by the Carrot Museum.